I grew up a country boy from the great white Northern Adirondacks... the part of New York that most people confuse for Canada, or a vast uninhabited wasteland, if they think about it at all. It was a wonderful place to grow up, but I was forced to come South in order to attend college, and to find employment doing something that interests me. Despite an ambiguous desire to return some day, I am acculturating, and learning that Central NY may indeed have some promising features.**Don't let anyone know, but I'm learning to like it here (even if I sometimes feel akin to the Fox in Kipling's "The Little Prince").**

What I’m doing with my life

Working for a great company, attempting to establish something resembling a respectable and interesting life, and trying to find someone with whom to enjoy the finer parts of living.

I’m really good at

Physics/Engineering/Mathematics: (They pay the bills fairly well, have allowed me to travel to places I never thought I would see, and I love problem solving... plus, the cool toys that come along with them are way better than what I can afford otherwise on my own.)Swashbuckling: (I never feel more alive than those moments when I'm teaching fencing to my students... and not even a full credit report can reveal more about a person's values, desires, intent, and self control, than facing them as equals across bared blades for a few moments. Truly a sublime joy.)Romance: (Given a woman that is receptive to my version of it, there are few things that make me happier than putting a giddy little smile on her face. It puts a dopey smile on me.)

The first things people usually notice about me

I'm over 6' tall, rangy build, full beard in the winter, shaved down to a thinner goatee in the summer... However, no matter what I wear or do, I seem to be equal parts 'blending in' and 'standing out' just about anywhere that I am. It's a gift, and a curse.

The second thing people seem to notice is that I'm less like Lurch and more like Gomez Addams.

Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food

A smattering of the classics by everyone from Thoreau, Voltaire, and Twain, to the more modern Christopher Moore, Whedon, Tarentino, and Miller. If it's still worth talking about twenty minutes after enjoying it, then I'll give any genre a try (especially when there's French or Italian food and a little wine to smooth out the conversation afterward).

I'm not really as stuffy as that sounds... I swear I've more modern interests too, it's just that filling out this survey makes me feel like I'm taking a highschool history test all over again, and I can't remember if it was Lincoln or Roosevelt that freed the Californians.

The six things I could never do without

Food, Drink, and an Oxygen/Nitrogen Atmosphere of appropriate temperature and pressue... Once I've got those three in abundance, I'm happy with some thought-provoking Books, Videos, and Music. Possibly even someone to share those riches with. Simple stuff, really.

I spend a lot of time thinking about

Job oriented stuff. Great big, and very small, mysteries of the universe.

By all means, please distract me!

On a typical Friday night I am

Either reading a good book, or spending an hour at the local watering hole with some close friends, thoroughly enjoying the one evening a week that feels wholly mine.If you've got any better ideas, please suggest them. I'm always looking for new outings, and craving new learning experiences.

The most private thing I’m willing to admit

Much like when I was a child, I still befriend random neighborhood animals: Deer, squirrels, other people's pets, etc.It could be argued that my occasionally rough and uncouth demeanor masks a very soft heart.

You should message me if

you would like someone to talk to that can keep you laughing. (The caveat is that you have to deal with snarky, off-color, non-politically-correct, and/or morbid humor on occasion...)

you are looking for someone equal parts adventurous and stay-at-home dependable.

you don't exactly meet all of my listed criteria, but you're within a reasonable margin of error. I'll let you decide if you would like to take a chance.